THE MEANING & THE CONTEXT
The story behind Joshua
Joshua is recorded as a male given name in Tagalog and Cebuano. The source gives a linguistic connection through English, specifically the form Joshua.
The etymology is not settled. The explanation above keeps the source’s uncertainty rather than assigning a definite meaning.
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Tagalog
- /ˈd͡ʒoʃwa/Standard-Tagalog
- [ˈd͡ʒoʃ.wɐ]Standard-Tagalog
- /ˈdjoswa/no palatal assimilation
- [ˈd̪jos.wɐ]no palatal assimilation
Josh · ua2 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Spanish
- /ˈʝoʃwa/
- [ˈɟ͡ʝo.ʃwa]
- /ˈʃoʃwa/
- [ˈʃo.ʃwa]
- /ˈʒoʃwa/
- [ˈʒo.ʃwa]
Jo · shua2 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
TagalogEtymology & source
Borrowed from English Joshua, from Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (yəhôšūaʿ).
a male given name from English
Wiktionary: Joshua (Tagalog) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Joshua, from Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (yəhôšūaʿ).
a male given name from English
Wiktionary: Joshua (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
From Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshúa'), perhaps from הוֹשֵׁעַ (Hoshéa') with addition of יהוה (YHWH, “Yahweh”), thus meaning "Yahweh is salvation". See הוֹשִׁיעַ (hoshía', “to save”). By cognate a direct equivalent to Jesus via Latin Iēsūs and Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) from Aramaic יֵשׁוּע (Yēšū́ʿ), akin to Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa'), a variant of Yehoshúa'. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament consistently render the two Hebrew names Yehoshúa' (whence Joshua) and Yeshúa' (whence Jeshua) into Koine Greek as Iēsoûs (whence Jesus).
A male given name from Hebrew.
Wiktionary: Joshua (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
SpanishEtymology & source
Unadapted borrowing from English Joshua. Doublet of Josué.
a male given name from English
Wiktionary: Joshua (Spanish) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Joshua
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Joshua Dionisio
Filipino actor
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Joshua Cadelina
actor
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
3
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗Wikidata
11
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Joshua Dionisio, Joshua Cadelina
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Joshua in the birth records
Exact spelling, stated year, published top-ten tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Boys’ registered births
Available publications: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. No 2021 count is inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Joshua
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Josefa♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Josh♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Josue·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Joana♀Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
- Joanna♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Joella♀Given name documented in Philippine-linked records; lexical meaning not established here
- Johan♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Johana·Recorded Philippine given-name form
What rhymes with Joshua?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Explore Joshua further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wikidata given-name item Q3284319 — Joshua (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Joshua Dionisio (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q3284319 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Joshua Cadelina (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q3284319 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Joshua (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Joshua (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Joshua (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Joshua (Spanish) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.